It’s becoming an increasingly common sight to see young children glued to iPads, smartphones or other handheld devices, so is increased screen exposure among young children an issue we should be concerned about?
A recent interview of the parents of 800 children found that nine out of 10 children in the 18 to 24 months age group are exposed to screen devices.
The study was part of a community health project conducted by fourth-year medical students at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to find out how often young children use screen devices and the attitudes, practices and beliefs of their caregivers towards such use.
The study, termed Project iBaby, also found that almost half of these children under the age of two spend an hour or more on screen devices a day, and worryingly, parents seemed to lack knowledge on screen time exposure. Eight in 10 parents surveyed were not aware of any professional guidelines regarding screen time for young children.
“Our findings highlight that exposure to screen devices is highly prevalent and that awareness about the detrimental health effects is limited”, said project supervisor Dr Falk Mueller-Riemenschneider from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
About Project iBaby:
Media Coverage:
- The Straits Times, 7 August 2014, Thursday